Travel Guides

Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai

For those who are serious about exploring Mongolia's furthest
corners - or for those deeply interested in mankind's origins - a
trip to the Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai is a
highly recommended tourist activity. These complexes are home to
the largest, best-preserved and oldest collection of rock art in
north Asia, and the petroglyphs themselves document over 12,000
years of Mongolian culture. The earliest images date from the Late
Pleistocene era (about 10,000 BC), and depict a cultural landscape
where the surrounding valleys provided a habitat for hunters of big
game. Fascinatingly, the rock art images then extend into the
Scythian and Turkic Periods, and show the transition firstly to a
herding culture, and then to the horse-dependent, nomadic kind of
lifestyle for which Mongolia is famous. A UNESCO World Heritage
Site, the Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai provide
visitors with an enthralling and authentic cross-section of 12
millennia of Mongolia's history.